Molecular Clouds in Nearby Galaxies

Abstract

We present a review of spatially resolved giant molecular clouds (GMCs) in nearby galaxies, aiming at providing a template of GMC properties, which may be extrapolated to distant galaxies. We focus on the Magellanic system including the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC, SMC), M33, and a few dwarfs as observed in the J = 1–012CO transition at 2.6-mm wavelength. The X factor, a conversion factor of the12CO intensity to total molecular column density, and the GMC mass distribution, dN/dM, are similar among these galaxies, suggesting that GMCs share similar properties in the Local Group. The GMCs are classified into three types according to their level of star-formation activity and the types are interpreted in terms of evolution in 20–30 Myr rather than as three different generic types. A three-dimensional comparison including the velocity axis has revealed that GMCs in the LMC are associated with Hi envelopes. The Hi envelopes are probably gravitationally bound and may be infalling to increase the GMC mass via Hi-H2conversion. Recent submillimeter observations are revealing dense and warm clumps in GMCs, suggesting that the interior of a GMC also follows contraction leading to star formation on a similar timescale. Finally, we present an attempt to place these GMC properties among more distant galaxies and discuss future observational prospects.